ROCK HILL, S.C. - When Winthrop University students walk into the Ida Jane Dacus Library this fall, they
will be greeted with group study rooms,
technobooths and an information commons, a combination of
both the circulation and reference desks.
The library has undergone extensive renovations and
improvements over the summer, sparked by a survey in which hundreds of students
provided feedback on what they would like to see in the library. At the top of
the list was 24-hour access, but as the improvements near completion, Library Dean Mark Herring and staff
will operate this academic year with adjusted library hours they hope will
offer students the most convenience and see the most traffic.
Beginning Sept. 3, tentative
revised hours will be 24 hours Sunday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday and noon-7 p.m. Saturday. When developing the
new library hours staff referred to data that shows Friday nights after 7 p.m.
and Saturday mornings before noon have the least amount of students in the
building. The 24-hour access, which applies to the main floor only, will be
suspended just before Fall Break, Thanksgiving and the December holidays break.
A security guard will be on duty from midnight to 7:30 a.m.
Herring said the hours could be revised later, depending on
student usage throughout the fall semester. Read more about
the new hours and follow the library’s progress.